Letter-box connection



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. G. CUTLER.

LETTER BOX CONNECTION.

No. 390,347. Patented Oct. 2, 1888.

3 Sheets-Shet 2 (No Model.)

J. G. CUTLER.

LETTER BOX CONNECTION.

Patented Oct. 2, 1888.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. C. CUTLER.

LETTER BOX CONNECTION.

No. 390,347. Patepted Oct. 2, 1888.

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PATENT JAMES G. CUTLER, OF ROCHESTER, NEXV YORK.

LETTER BOX CONNECTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 390,347, dated October2, 1888. Application filed April 18, 1887. Serial No. 235,144. (Nomodel.)

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES G. CUTLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rochester, Monroe county, New York, have invented certainImprovements in Letter-Box Connections, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying draw- IDOS.

TVIy invention relates to certain improvements on the letter-boxconnections or mailchutes described in PatcntsNo. 284,951, ofSeptember11, 1883, and No. 336,038, of February 9, 1886, which improvements aredescribed and illustrated in the following specification andaccompanying drawings, the novel features thereof being specified in theclaims aunexed to the said specification.

My improvements in letter-box connections are represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a front View of a portionof the tube. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 isan elevation of the upper portion of one section of the tube. Fig. 4 isa transverse section of the same on the line 4 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 istransverse section on the line 5 5, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an elevation of aportion of the base. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the same on theline 7 7, Fig. 6.

My improved letter-box connection consists of a vertical tube extendingthrough the different stories of a building, which tube is made insections connected by suitable joints and attached to a wall or othersupport by bands surrounding thejoints. The tube or chute is provided atproper intervals with openings for the insertion of letters or othermail and terminates at the bottom in a suitable receptacle or mail-box.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents one of the removable sectionsof my improved mail-chute, and A the next higher section. Each sectionconsists of a sheet-metal tube, L, bent to form three sides of arectangle, and having a glass front, B, inserted in the fourth side andsecured to the inwardly-projecting edges 2' of the sheet-metal tube bythe clamps G C. The front of the chute is preferably made of heavy plateglass. The glass front permits the inspection of the interior of thetube, so that the descent of the mail matter may be readily observed andthe position of any accidental obstruction in the tube may be located.The clamps which secure the front B to the sheet-metal tube L arecomposed of two strips of metal of a form substantially such as shown atO in the sectional views, Figs. 4 and 5, secured together by a line ofrivets. The strip a on the outside of the tube is preferably formed ofsheet brass and bent as shown, so that the outer edges of the curvedportions will firmly clamp the glass and metal against the edges of theinner strip, 1), which are preferably slightly bent toward the outside,as shown in the drawings, so as to make their edges rounded and smooth,and thus pre vent anything from catching between the glass or the metaland the inner strip, 1), of the clamp. If desired, projections or lugsmay be stamped into the sheet metal of the tube atf, Figs. 3 and 4,which fit the curved portion of the clamp a, preventing any motionsidewise, and keeping the clamps engaged with the metal and the parts ofdifferent sections in correct line with each other.

The parts of the clamp C are secured together before setting up theapparatus, and are slid on from the end of each section. The glass frontis then slid into place between the inner edges of the clamps. Thesheet-metal tube is provided on the frontside with theinwardly-projecting flanges i, Figs. 3 and 4, which project between theouter edges of the clamp-strips a and I). The outer clamps,a,areprovided with longitudinal channels, as shown in the sectional views,whereby they are adapted to receive the fiangesi and the outer edges oftheglass front B, whileat the same time they serve to give a finished orornamental appearance to the chute. The clamps are sufficiently elasticto hold the flanges iand the glass with a firm pressure when insertedtherein. The inner and outer clamp-strips are secured together bytherows of rivets or bolts In, Figs. 3 and at, care being taken that theinner ends of the rivets are countersunk so as to come flush with theinner surfaces of the clamp-strips I), to avoid any projections on whichmail matter might lodge. The lugs or projectionsfiwhich serve to holdthe clamps on the flanges and bands E E, encircling them and riveted orotherwise secured to the metal of the tube. The bands E E are fastenedby the screws 9 g to the plate F, which is screwed or otherwise attachedto the wall or other suitable support. The plate F is provided withrecesses m, Fig. 3,on its face, into which fit correspondinglugs on therear sides of the bands E E. The

plates F are permanently secured to the wall,

and the bands on the ends of the sections of the letter-chute arescrewed thereto at 9, Fig; 1, so that any one of the sections may beremoved independently of the others when access to the interior of thetube is desired, and can be replaced in its exact former relation withthe other sections. Any one of the sections, with the bands at its upperand lower ends, may be removed by taking out the screws 9, by which thelugs r at the rear corners of the bands are secured to the plate F. Iprefer to cover the outer portion of the bands E E with a plate or bandof burnished or ornamental metal, H, so as to conceal the joint betweenthe bands,such ornamental covering being attached by screws n, Fig. 1.Between the ends of the glass fronts of the adjacent sections is placedthe bar G, Figs. 1 and 2, which is attached to the band E at the lowerends of the sections. The inner surface of the bar G is beveledslightly, as represented in Fig. 2, so that its lower edge projectsinward into the tube ashort distance beyond the glass of the next lowersection, so as to prevent any mail from lodging thereon. The band E isrecessed on the inner side to receive the ends of the bar G, whichextends the whole width of the tube L, the inner surface of the barbeing thickened at the ends to correspond with the inner clamp, I), soas to avoid any ledges or projections which might obstruct the descentof mail matter in the chute.

The bar G is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5. The bar serves tocarry the weight of the glass and prevent its displacement.

As indicated in the drawings, the bands E E may be cut away to reducethe amount of metal in them, the recess thus formed being covered bythe. band H.

In Figs. 1 and 2 l have shown the mailingsection D, which is located inthe front of the tube at asuitable height from the floor. The section Dis a casting inserted in the front of the tube in place of a portion ofthe glass. The outer portion of the casting D projects from the face ofthe tube, and is provided with an opening at c for the insertion ofmail, which passes into the tube through the mailing-section. Thecastingis preferably provided with flanges p at its top and bottom,whichoverlap the glass, as shown in the sectional view,and

at its sides are flanges'of the same thickness as the glass used in thechute,upon which the clamps G G bear, holding the section D firmly inplace. A swinging gate, 3, is pivoted in the casting D, as shown in thesection, Fig. 2, and is normally open, affording a free passage into thechute at c. The distance between the front of the mailing-section andthe lower portion, 8/ apiece of mail matter so large as to be liable toclog the tube is inserted through the opening 0 it comes in contact withthe lower end of the swinging gate at e and moves the gate into theposition represented by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The upper end of thegate 8 is turned outward, forming a lip, t, as shown in the section, andmoves across the opening a when the lower end is forced into the tube bya package of excessive size, thus clamping the upper end of the packageat c and preventing its insertion into the tube. The clamping-edge t ofthe gate 8 is toothed or notched, (not shown,)so as to give a firmergrasp on the object which it seizes. This device is especially useful inpreventing the insertion of looselyfolded newspapers, which expandafterv being forced through the orifice c. Theswinging gate 3 is pivotedat d, Fig. 2, in the projecting sides of the mailing-section D.

It will be observed that the mailingsection inclosing the gate 5projects outward entirely beyond the front'side of the tube, so that thefree descent of mail matter in rear of the gate is permitted even if thelatter should be clogged by the introduction of a newspaper or otherarticle too large to pass by the lower end ofthe gate. It will also beobserved that the orifice c is of restricted dimensions and that thegate consists of asolid plate extending the whole width of themailing-section, so that the mail matter may act on it at any pointbelow the line of the pivots d d.

I hereby disclaim the construction shown in the patent of Wittram, No.91,583, June 22,

The construction of the base of my improved mail-chute is represented inFigs. 6 and 7 Around the lower portion of the tube, just above eachfloor through which it passes, is placed the base 1?, surrounding thetube on the front and sides, but open at the back or next the wall orsupport. The base may be formed of one or more pieces and ornamented inany preferred manner; but I prefer to make it in two sections, 1? and P,the upper of which is attached to the lower, so as to be readilydetached therefrom,while the lower is secured to the floor or a block,a, fastened thereto. The lower end of the section of the mailchute nextabove the floor is provided with a band, E, attached to a plate, F,secured to the wall, in

of the gate at e isso proportioned that when IIO all respects like theconstruction already described; but the connection through the floor tothe uppermost section in the next story of the building is made by aplain metallic pipe, It, Fig. 7, of the same dimensions as the tube L.The floor-section B may be readily adapted in its length to the distancebetween the lower section on one floor and the highest section on thenext, so .that while the sections with the glass fronts are all made ofuniform length,by varying the length of the floor-section, the apparatusis adapted to being readily put up in buildings having stories ofvarying heights. The floor-section B is provided with bands at its upperand lower ends, by which it is securedto the plates F.

I claim- 1. The combination, with a mailing tube consisting of a seriesof independently-removable sections, of the bands E E, surrounding theends of the sections and removably attached to the plate F, secured tothe wall or other support,whcreby the removal of any one of the sectionsis permitted without disturbing the remaining sections, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination, with the adjacent sections of a mailing-tube, of theplate F, attached to the wall or other support, and the separate bands EE, surrounding the ends of the tubes and removably secured to the plateF, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a mailing-tube, of a series of independentlyremovable sections consisting of the sheet-metal tube L, glass front B,clamps G O, and band E around the lower end of the section, providedwith bar G, arranged to support the glass, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the mailing-tube provided with a glass frontsecured thereto by the removable clamps G O, of the mailing-section D,substantially as described.

5. The combination,with the mail-chute A, of the mailing-section D,provided with a restricted mail-orifice, c, at its top, projecting fromand located in front of the chute,and the pivoted plate constituting thegate .9, having an outwardly-projecting lip, t, at its upper end,whereby the insertion of mail matter of excessive dimensions isprevented, while the chute is left unobstructed for the descent of mailmatter from above in rear of the gate, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

6. The combination, with a mailingtube formed of sheet metal andprovided on one side with inwardly-projecting flanges, of the glassfront B, attached to the said flanges by the clamps O O, and themailing-section D, provided with orifice c, for the introduction of mailmatterinto the tube, and with projecting flanges, whereby themailing-scction is adapted for attachment to the tube by the clampswhich hold the glass front, substantially as described.-

7. The combination, with the sheet-metal tube-section L of a mail-chutehaving inward ly-projecting flanges t, of the glass front B, attached tothe flanges by clamps with itsinner surface in substantially the sameplane as the inside of the flanges, as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The combination, with the'sheet metal tube L, havinginwardly-projecting flanges t, of the glass front B and the clamps C 0,consisting of the outer and inner plates, a and Z), substantially asdescribed.

JAMES G. CUTLER.

\Vitnesses:

GEO. B. SELDEN, H. G. PHILLIPS.

